Nearly Sunrise
by Fairly Odd New Yorker
Summary: After the events of the third film, Jedediah and Octavius say one last goodbye.


**(A/N)-** I realized I posted this a couple years ago to Tumblr but never shared with bc it was my first slash and I was embarrassed, well ... here it is. Apologies for all my other fics I failed to finish. I'm trying.

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 **-Nearly Sunrise-**

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Larry Daley said his goodbyes to the two miniatures and left, leaving the two small men alone in the diorama room. An awkward silence fell between them – silence that neither of them knew how to fill but they knew that time was of the essence and if neither of them said something soon, they may never say something to one another ever again.

"Octy, I-"

"I love you."

Jedidiah blinked, not expecting this confession as he didn't want to get all mushy, "I love you too, compadre."

"No, Jed, I mean-"

"I know what you mean," Jedidiah replied, rolling his eyes, "Just didn't think that it was something that needed to be said."

Octavius was infuriated, "Didn't need to be said? How many times have we almost died, that I almost lost — and you don't think it needs to be said? We may never come to life ever again!"

"Don't get mad – I mean I thought it was obvious enough that we didn't have to ruin it with words or … complicating things. It is what it is."

"And what is 'it'?" The Roman soldier asked, going from annoyed to genuine curious, with a tinge of hurt.

Jedidiah shrugged, hiding his gaze from his partner under his cowboy hat as he stared down at is his boots with his thumbs tucked into his chaps.

Silence fell once more, and Jed heard Octavius's armor clank as he moved.

"It's nearly sunrise."

Jed looked up and saw that Octavius had removed his helmet. He followed his friend's gaze as he watched the clock above the entranceway.

"Hold my hand?"

Octavius turned around, cutting his friend a look, "Now's not the time for jokes, we should be heading back to our-"

"It's not a joke," Jedidiah replied seriously, extending a gloved hand to the soldier, "I want you to hold my hand. Please."

Octavius's expression softened, and he looked down to his hand a moment before taking it in his. It was the second time they held hands like this – before when they thought they were dying, and now … now when it was certain that they were going to die. Or perhaps they weren't dying, for they'd have to have been alive in the first place, and neither of them had a heartbeat to speak of.

Jedidiah pulled his cowboy hat off of his head with his free hand and closed the space between them, kissing Octavius softly on the lips and taking him by surprise, so much in fact that he dropped his helmet and sent it to the floor with a loud clatter as he jumped away at the touch, releasing his hand.

"Don't do that!" he exclaimed.

"That's what you want, isn't it?" Jed asked, hurt by the reaction he got.

"That's not what you want."

"Don't tell me what I want. I wanted this to play out, take it's time, because I thought we had all the time in the world, and now here we are with no time left at all! So I'm sorry for wanting to expand our horizons but … this is my manifest destiny."

"Tell me you didn't just call it that," Octavius droned in annoyance.

"I'm serious, Octy. We ain't got much time left, so what is there to lose?"

Octavius watched him with his brown eyes, feeling as if he might be dreaming – he was feeling so lightheaded – maybe it was the tablet's magic falling away that caused this feeling … and then Jedidiah kissed him again, more desperate and rougher this time, and in that kiss he could feel everything – every time his heart ached for this blonde-haired westerner – when they crashed the car in the snow and he'd feared the man had gotten snapped in two – when Jed had nearly drowned in that hourglass – and then on the rooftop, when he'd thought he'd lose him forever and regretted not telling him then how he felt about him.

Octavius kissed him back with the same fervor, hoping that in that kiss Jedidiah fully realized the passion he felt for him. Jed must've felt something, for he let out what he thought was a moan but it was actually a choked-back sob, and breathing heavily, he broke the kiss, pressing his forehead to his. A couple of tears had streamed down his face.

"Hey, if we ain't got hearts, then why do I feel like mine is breaking?" he asked, referencing a film which they had watched together on the internet once.

Octavius choked back a laugh, drying the younger man's tears with his thumb.

"I'm sorry for not telling you sooner. I tried –"

"I know. I'm sorry I pushed you away all those times. Guess I was just waiting for you to say it outright, but … I should've said something."

Octavius grasped his chin and shared one last kiss with the sheriff before stepping away, "Till we meet again."

Jedidiah fought back tears with a strangled laugh, "Don't say that like it's gonna happen."

Octavius shrugged, "We're made of wax and we've come to life and fallen for each other … I'd say anything's possible."

Jedidiah shook his head with a laugh, hiding his tears under his hat as he tipped it off to the general, and in that moment he felt his hand begin to ache and grow cold, and before he could look up again to meet his friend's eyes one last time, he had turned back into a miniature statue.


End file.
